Fallout: Foster's Home
by TRikiD
Summary: She felt blatantly guilty of losing a beloved friend, so she escapes the safety and comfort of the toy chest to find their star. But when she realizes she's all alone and has no idea what she's doing, she crosses paths with a strange group of imaginary friends, who have apparently lived on the surface since it all went to hell.
1. Prologue

**Inspired by Fallout: Equestria written by Kkat.**

* * *

Fallout: Foster's Home

Peaceful co-existing was not guaranteed for us, but we didn't know it. Relationships between humans and imaginary friends were quickly falsely accused when the worst imaginary friends of all, Extreme-o-sauruses, suddenly rampaged and terrorized everything.

Everyone across the globe was either in panic or blinded by rage and revenge from the savage beasts, and sought to use nuclear weapons to destroy them all.

But the resulting detonations not only killed off most of the Extreme-o-sauruses, it also killed off millions of innocent lives. No one knows for sure if it was by accident or intentional, but the aftermath was devastating. The planet's atmosphere was becoming poisoned from the nuclear blasts, causing all plant life to become intoxicated. The resulting decline in plant life not only eliminated a large portion of numerous ecosystems, but also nearly made breathing on the surface a death wish.

So, people and non-Extremes were forced into underground military and naval bases for protection, in hopes of repopulating Earth once it was clean and safe again.

But Madame Foster had the same idea. She moved all of her beloved imaginary friends into a secret TARDIS-like toy chest, where another imaginary friend named World could protect and watch over everyone.

And now, after so much time that everyone has forgotten how long they have been inside, the residents of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends live a normal and safe life in the toy chest.


	2. My Name is Bella

Before my story begins, I need to give you a little recap…

Where are we? We are in World's Toy Chest, and we all live under the rule and protection of World. World is an imaginary friend himself, and he was given orders by Madame Foster to take care of the imaginary friends after she died. She died almost ten years ago, and World has been doing a good job of taking care of us.

Why are we here? Like I said before, we were put here by Madame Foster, but she said she did it for our own good. And she was right. The Extreme-o-saurus attacks, as well as the war against them, was too much for the world to take, so Madame Foster forced us all into the safety of World's Toy Chest, where he uses his powers to give us a safe world, shelter, food, etc.

When did we get here? We've been here for too long, in my opinion. Most have lost count, especially after Madame Foster died. But I like to keep track of everything with my PipBud, including the date. Apparently, we've been down here for eighteen years.

What is a PipBud? A PipBud is a neat little contraption that geeky or technologically advanced imaginary friends invented shortly after moving into the toy chest; everyone is fitted with one immediately so that they can be tracked, and to keep them safe. PipBuds tell you if you are hurt or in need of medical attention, what you need to heal, and even activate a radar called the E.A.R. (Eyes-Around Radar), which tracks the heartbeat of creatures around you, as well as inform you if they are hostile or friendly. They sound neat, I know, but it's only for a short time. You're never allowed to take them off, and the tracking chip inside of them allows World and his security to pinpoint your exact location.

Who am I? My name is Bella, and I am just a humble, lonely PipBud Technician, which is useless because PipBuds are so reliable that they literally almost never break down, meaning I usually have nothing to do.

But that is all behind me. Now, I'm here and I'm here to tell you my story…

* * *

 **Yes, in case this wasn't already obvious, this is heavily inspired off of Kkat's Fallout: Equestria, so please don't get mad at me. If anything, I'd really like if you would check out the original by Kkat because it is SO MUCH more awesome than this! So, please, don't flag me or anything, and check out the real deal.**

 **Also, Bella in this story is the same as the Bella in my other Foster's Home fanfic The Best Friends are Imaginary, in case that helps. If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's fine too.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	3. Chapter 1 - Leaving the Toy Chest

Chapter 1 - Leaving the Toy Chest

A short and slim arctic fox, with her beautiful white peacock tail trailing behind her, was casually walking through the stone halls of a castle, the castle in which most of the inhabitants of World's Toy Chest lived. Those who didn't live in the castle lived in spread out villages around the castle itself.

The fox/peacock's blue eyes were filled with boredom, as her head sulked a bit as well. The only thing ruining her flawless white fur and tail was her PipBud, which was clasped on her left foreleg.

"Hey, Bella!" a familiar voice called, and the said white fox turned to find an anthropomorphic pink squirrel imaginary friend with a pink bow approaching her. It was Fluffer Nutters, Bella's only real friend in the whole place.

"Hi, Fluff. What's up? Something wrong with your PipBud?" Bella asked with a smile, looking at Fluffer Nutters' PipBud on her right wrist.

"No, just thought I'd walk with you for a bit. I've needed the exercise since Jackie and I've been trying," Fluffer Nutters admitted, turning her focus forward like Bella.

"Oh, yeah? How's that working for you?"

"Not good, mostly because of our totally different DNA. Who knew it was so hard for imaginary friends to start families?"

"I certainly didn't, and I still don't. Not to seem rude, but I think I'll avoid the family life."

"That's too bad. You'd make a great mom."

"Oh, how dare you?" The two girls got a good chuckle out of that.

"But for future reference, you think you could at least babysit for us?" Fluffer Nutters questioned, interrupting their laughter.

"Hmmm…I doubt it," Bella began with a hum, but then she smiled, "But for you, I'll think about it."

"Thanks, Bell. I've gotta go now, got dinner waiting in the oven. Thanks for the walk!" With that, the pink squirrel exited through a door in the hall.

"No problem!" Bella called after Fluffer Nutters shut the heavy wooden doors, and she was alone again when the echo of the door shutting traveled down the halls.

"Good luck on that family."

* * *

That night, Bella was waiting up in her office for her shift to end; being a PipBud Technician, nothing ever happened these days. But to get the wages she needed in this perfect little community, she had to wait another half hour in her boring office before her shift ended.

"It's a small world, after all…iiit's a small world, aaafter aaaall…" Bella sang dryly, slouching in her swivel chair and resting her head on her desk, staring blankly at her toolbox.

"You know, you're almost as good a singer as me." Bella's head immediately perked up upon the all-too familiar voice. And there she was standing in the doorway, a rather small imaginary friend with an hourglass figure, dark purple fur, little feathery tufts atop her head, and the most adorable eyes. Berry Sweet. She was the famous singer of World's Toy Chest, the most beloved of all in fact, because of her melodic and gentle voice, as well as her kind nature. Point is, everyone in World's Toy Chest tuned into the radio on their PipBuds to listen to Berry's songs(which was all they were really used for these days), and Bella was no exception.

 _I can't believe it! Berry, the sweetest girl and best singer, is in MY office! I am not worthy of her presence!_ Bella screamed in her head, but she kept quiet on the outside.

"B…Berry? W-what are you doing here?" Bella stuttered when she found her voice; though, she failed to hide her surprised expression, making Berry giggle.

"I needed some help. You're a PipBud Technician, right?" Berry asked politely, stepping further into the office and quickly glancing down at her PipBud on her right wrist.

"Y-yes, I am, Ma'am," Bella quickly informed while jumping down from her seat.

"Oh, please, you don't need to be so formal."

"Oh, right…sorry."

"Don't be. I'm the one barging into your office on such short notice. I bet you're extremely tired, and here I am preventing you from going home just yet."

Bella was utterly panicking inside when she saw the shameful expression on Berry's face. She wanted her of all people the feel the most welcome.

"Believe me, Berry, my door is always open to you," Bella reassured sincerely.

"Really? Well, that's good to hear," Berry sighed with relief, and then she raised her PipBud into view, "It's chafing my wrist really badly, and it's really hard to focus on writing my new song."

 _That's right, she's releasing a new song next week,_ Bella thought with realization, and she grabbed the special keys, the only kind that can unlock PipBuds, from her toolbox to unlock, and Berry's soon popped right off with ease.

"Don't worry, I can help with that. I'll take it off and have it all spiffed up for you by midnight tonight," Bella informed with a bright smile.

"No, no!" Berry exclaimed, but quickly cleared her throat when she realized she raised her voice, "N-no, that won't be necessary. I need to put some salve on this and rest it for the night…just have it back to me by tomorrow afternoon, ok?"

"Sure thing, Berry. I'm happy to be of service," Bella chimed, just barely catching herself from giggling like a school girl.

"I'm sure you are. Thank you _berry_ much." And with that, Berry disappeared out of the office, allowing Bella to jump around with joy and whisper-cheer "Yes!" once she was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Bella was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with Berry Sweet's PipBud in her mouth; she had been up late polishing and refurbishing it to make sure it was perfect for Berry's next show, even just sitting and admiring the star's trademark "B. Sweet" carved into it.

But Bella couldn't be more happy as she skipped to Berry's room, which was the second highest in the castle(next to World's). But as soon as she rounded a corner, she felt the need to pause in her tracks when she saw the large crowd of civilians and guards standing outside of Berry's room.

"How did this happen?!"

"How could she do this?!"

"I bet she had help!"

Bella felt more and more enticed as the terrified conversations went on, even as she slowly approached it.

"BERRY SWEET'S GONE, AND NOW WE'LL NEVER HEAR HER SWEET VOICE AGAIN!"

It struck Bella like a stake to the chest.

 _Berry's…gone?_ Bella thought with paranoia.

"There's nothing we can do! Her PipBud was removed!" a guard called out, only panicking the crowd even more, but no one was more scared than Bella now.

She looked down at the PipBud in her mouth…she was tricked into removing it, and now she would be impossible to find without it!

Bella didn't know what to do next, other than to run and hide. And so, she did.

* * *

Word of Berry Sweet's escape traveled very quickly throughout all of World's Toy Chest, as well as the even worse news that she tricked a PipBud Technician into removing her own PipBud. World was not happy with any of it.

"Good evening, everyone! I have some very bad news, in which I'm sure most of you are already aware of, but I'm sorry to say that our beloved star, Berry Sweet, is no longer with us!"

Everyone shrunk at the over-powerful voice of World, which he rarely used in the perfect world he created. But it was situations like these that he enlarged himself, due to the powers he was created with, and spoke with sternness and sorrow.

"And I'm sure you all probably know that she only escaped because she tricked a poor and innocent PipBud Technician into removing her PipBud! I want you to know that the action to leave my world was _her_ choice, and as I've said before, the PipBud Technician is innocent! DO NOT blame her! For now, let us all hope and pray that Berry Sweet is still ok, and that she may one day return!"

No one was more scared to listen to World than Bella, as she was curled up in her bed into a tight ball and hugging Berry's PipBud tightly.

"Oh…damnit, Berry, why did you do it?" Berry grumbled, but she wasn't the slightest bit angry at the said singer. She threw her blankets off and sat up, observing Berry's PipBud closely.

"I don't understand, Berry…we all loved you…didn't you love us?" Bella was beginning to cry, and so she wiped her eyes and nose with her blankets. "Any other way, it's my fault…I let this happen…and now, because of me, you're probably d…"

Bella couldn't bring herself to speak the last word, and instead only wiped more tears away and sniffled. So, she tried to take her mind off of it all and go back to focusing on Berry's PipBud.

One horizontal dial on the left allowed the user to move the arrow on the bottom from side to side through options, and another vertical dial, also on the left, allowed the used to move a separate arrow to move up and down files. Berry's files were mostly filled with songs, old and new, complete and barely half finished, and Bella's curiosity grew more as she scrolled through more files.

"Wow…I wonder if she sings with herself in the shower," Berry wondered aloud with a smirk, but then she froze on a certain file that was entitled "Override Code."

Bella hoped it wasn't a new song, as she didn't want to spoil it, but she selected the file anyway. It turned out to by an audio file.

"The override code for the door to World's Toy Chest is _Zombie Fighters_ ," a feminine voice announced, and Bella only shook her head when she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"The override code? How the hell does Berry have this?" Bella whispered with shock, thinking about the door that kept everyone from leaving World's Toy Chest.

Everyone knew it was literally the only entrance and exit to World's Toy Chest, but it was nearly impossibly to get through at all. For one, it was the most heavily guarded place in the entire toy chest. And two, the metal door was thick and heavy, and the only way to unlock it was to a specific password…and apparently, an override code as well.

Everyone also never even thought to leave, as they believed that there was basically nothing on the other side. Just a black void that you would fall through for all eternity.

"But what if it's not?" Bella asked herself, knowing Berry was much smarter than that, and that she wouldn't leave if she knew there was nothing out there. And even if there is something out there, how would Berry survive all alone?

 _She can't…and she's not going to,_ Bella pondered, making a very drastic decision.

* * *

Bella left the castle in the cover of night, after packing some food, water, and some of her PipBud Tools in case; anything else she needed would be taken care of by her PipBud.

She traveled much farther than she ever had in World's Toy Chest, believing she had traveled all the way around the world. But to her surprise, she didn't loop back around, and the door to the surface was completely unguarded, which was also quite shocking. You would think after Berry's dreaded escape, the guards would be more persistent to prevent anymore escapes.

But that wasn't the case. The door was completely unguarded.

Bella had never seen the entrance/exit before, and she was certainly surprised when she realized the door was blocking a slanted building that ran all the way up into the sky, making it almost impossible to see the top. There was also only a single computer, a large and square-shaped device that Bella heard rumors about technology like this from an era called the "90's."

But she didn't worry about that now. This computer was the only thing connected to the door, which meant it was the only thing to unlock it too.

"Ok, ok, let's see…" Bella mumbled quietly while sitting at the computer and recalling the override code, slowly repeating the numbers aloud as she typed it in.

"Oh please, please, please, _pleeeaaase_ work," Bella prayed after hitting enter, and she clasped her paws together and closed her eyes tightly, and her prayers were immediately answered with the computer dinged and the door whirred loudly.

Soon, a large clunk filled the air and steam emitted from within the cracks of the door, which creaked with ear-scraping metal as it opened slowly. Dust was also falling from the edges of the door, making Bella finally question the last time it was opened.

But to Bella's dismay, a siren was soon blaring and echoing for miles around, most likely alerting the guards and World.

"Guards, close that door and stop her immediately!" World's voice boomed overhead, but Bella couldn't see him anywhere, "You there, stop right there! Don't even think about going through that door!"

"But I have to!" Bella protested with a shout.

"No, you don't…it's Bella, right?"

"Yes, that's my name, but how do you know I can't bring back Berry Sweet?!"

"Because it's IMPOSSIBLE! And if you leave, you'll NEVER be let back in!"

Bella nearly stumbled upon hearing that, realizing no one cared about her enough to search for her in a world of nothing.

"But I _will_ bring her back. You'll see," the fox/peacock stated firmly, knowing World wouldn't hear her, and she jumped through the door and sprinted up the stairs before the guards reached her.

And then the door closed with a hiss.

* * *

Bella immediately stopped once the upwards staircase was now pitch black, as even her feline vision couldn't see in this kind of darkness.

"Yeah, this isn't darkness…it's advanced darkness," Bella couldn't help but chuckle, as she squinted to look for the light button on her PipBud. Soon, her PipBud glowed with a bright green aura, providing light all around her. But the sight before her was not pretty.

She gasped and jumped with she found long dead corpses of several people and imaginary friends scattered about, all seeming to have been doing to same thing of trying to get down the stairs and into World's Toy Chest…which some obviously weren't so fortunate.

But Bella shook off the goose bumps and continued to walked up the old stone stairs, this time much slower, and she soon came up to a smaller entrance than the one at the bottom of the stairs. It was covered by a thick board, so Bella reached up and pushed with both paws.

* * *

 **First of all, Berry is still Berry, I just added "Sweet" to make it more interesting. Hope that's ok with you. And second, the voice on the audio file is actually Frankie, just in case you were curious.**

 **But what will happen to Berry and Bella now?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	4. Chapter 2 - First Time on the Surface

Chapter 2 - First Time on the Surface

Once the cover was off, she jumped out over a wall, finally realizing the irony of World's Toy Chest when she saw that the entrance was an actual toy chest.

"Clever…in a childish sort of way," Bella figured with a shrug, and then she focused on her surroundings. She found that was in a small room, filled with antiques and furniture all covered with blankets and dust. Even the dust particles in the air made Bella sneeze a few times.

There was only one window and one door, but the window was to dirty to see through, so Bella carefully walked over the old floor, which creaked loudly under each step, and she exited the room and found herself in a dark hall.

To the left were more halls that continued on, but to the right was a single door. Bella chose the door to the right and went to open it, but its hinges were so old that it just fell off when she pulled it. It would have flattered her if she hadn't jumped out of the way as well.

"Jesus!" she huffed and walked over the old door and up a much shorter staircase, which lead out onto a small balcony.

Bella couldn't believe what she was seeing, as her were wide and her mouth was gaping. She stepped up onto her back legs to place her forelegs on the rusted metal railing, and she looked over a lifeless, grey wasteland from atop a tall mansion.

"Who knew one little war could do all this?" Bella whispered with shock, shuddering with the thought of all the innocent that must have been lost.

But then some loud voices and approaching footsteps from inside the house pulled Bella from her thoughts. She quickly realized she couldn't stay here, as anyone who has lived in this world long enough were most likely savages looking to loot whenever they get the chance.

So, Bella quickly noticed the door on the other side on the balcony(to her luck), and she hastily but quietly opened it and disappeared down another flight of stairs before the source of the noise got to the balcony.

She just continued to sprint down more stairs and through long hallways, eventually, and by random luck, finally finding the foyer at the bottom. But when she ran down the main staircase, her tail got caught on a jagged nail sticking out of one of the stairs, and that's when her PipBud suddenly started to beep loudly and rapidly

 _Shit, the Eyes-Forward Radar, I forgot!_ Bella cursed in her mind, and she tried to focus on both getting her tail free and getting her PipBud to be quiet. When she did finally pull herself free, the nail unfortunately took many feather with is, leaving an ugly gaping hole in her once flawless feathers.

But that was Bella's least concern now, as a green map with numerous red dots was pulled up on her PipBud, and she panicked when the red dots were quickly closing in. The red dots always meant enemies, and Bella knew it, and she also knew she had to get out of there now!

But before Bella knew it, a gang of humans, all dirty of hair matted while wearing makeshift trash armor, appeared from the left and right halls.

"Well, well, well! Whadda we have here, Boys?" a buff man with a bat with nails jammed through it, most likely their leader, asked with an evil grin.

"We've got us a purddy lil' imaginary friend," another man with a thick accent replied giddily.

"Well, then what're we gonna do with 'er, Fellas?"

"I say we cook 'er! I heard fox was delicious," cackled a woman with long locks of matted blonde hair, and her voice was hoarse and horrible on the ears.

"Hey, you!" a tiny and scratchy voice whispered out of nowhere, but Bella was the only one that heard it as she frantically searched around for the source. "Down here, genius!"

Bella finally looked down to find a tiny yellow light on her PipBud blinking, one she didn't know could blink at all because it had never been used. The voice was coming from a surprisingly clear radio transmission on her PipBud.

"Who are you?" Bella demanded.

"No time to explain! NOW SHUT THE HELL UP AND HOLD YOUR BREATH!" Bella had no idea what to expect, but she was quick enough to catch on when she saw smoke suddenly exploding all around her, and she held her breath like she was told.

And then another person, but not a human, came running in up to her. It was an odd little creature, just half the size of Bella, with a cute Chihuahua appearance and pink fur, which was dusty and slightly messy; she was wearing a leather coat with a strange computer that she wore like a backpack, and her face was covered by large and thick round glass goggles over her eyes and a black bandana over the lower half over her face.

"C'mon!" she demanded while taking Bella's paw, and she lead the fox/peacock out of the building against her will. But even though Bella had no idea who this was or where she was going, she was more than willing to get away from that monstrous gang.

Before long, the two escaped and ran down the empty road before jumping a short wooden fence and taking a breather in a backyard.

"How did you do that?" Bella huffed.

"Do what?" the pink Chihuahua questioned.

"Hack into my PipBud, or whatever, they're impenetrable."

"Please, I can hack inta anything!" The Chihuahua laughed boastfully, and she finally removed her goggles and bandana, revealing a tiny face and large eyes. "My name's Crackers."

"Crackers, huh?" Bella repeated with surprise.

"Yup. My creator was addicted ta crackers like meth, so he created me ta help get him off of it…it didn't work."

"So, you were like a patch?"

"Yup."

"And you said you had a creator. Does that make you an imaginary friend?"

"Sure does, kid. Who're you, anyway?"

"I'm Bella."

"Well, Bella, you'll be dead soon." With that, Crackers stood back up and turned to leave.

"Wait, wait! Where are you going?!" Bella exclaimed with fear.

"Home."

"Well, take me with you!"

"Ooh, I dunno. Bloo doesn't take too kindly ta newbies."

"Bloo?"

"Yeah, he's our leader, the big man. And trust me, you _don't_ wanna get on his bad side."

"Oh, please, Crackers! Ya gotta let me come with you! If you really wanted to leave me for dead, you would've just left me back there to that gang for only God knows what bad deeds!" Bella pleaded while running up to Crackers and stopping her in her tracks.

"Will you shut up?! You're gonna get us caught!" Crackers hissed.

"Caught? But you took care of those guys with those smoke bombs, right?"

"Are you thick in the head? They're not the only Looters in this area, and thanks ta the calamity you caused, there are gonna be more of them soon."

"Then don't leave me here. Please! It's like you said, I'll die out here, and I can't go back to the toy chest."

"Then why did you leave in the first place?" Crackers looked at Bella dryly while crossing her arms in disbelief.

"Uh…w-well…"

Before Bella could answer, a large explosion suddenly went off in the yard just on the other side of the fence, and it was no smoke bomb either.

"Damnit, now look what you've done, they're using their grenades!" Crackers scolded and pulled out a few smaller-than-average grenades, most of them coated in dark pink. Bella quickly figured out that Crackers must have made them herself.

"Take cover, Kid!" Crackers warned before tossing a grenade into the other yard, and Bella barely had enough time to dodge behind an old tree before there was an even larger and fiery explosion than before.

Bella shook when she heard screams of agony nearby, as well as many calls for help. She really wanted to help them, but they obviously weren't worth saving if someone like Crackers was trying to kill them in the first place. She did save her, after all.

But Bella did find the courage to lean out to see what was going on, and all she saw was fire, blood, and disembodied limbs scattered everywhere. But she also noticed a Looter hiding in a house, and she had an end of two metal barrels pointed right at Crackers. She had never seen anything like it before, but so far, every item she's seen up here was a weapon.

"Crackers, look out!" Bella called and ran out to the said Chihuahua imaginary friend, and she immediately stepped in the view of the Looter, and she immediately lowered her weapon and her face was dumbstruck when she saw Bella's spread peacock. Despite the large gash in her tail, the Looter was enticed by the tail's feathery and shiny beauty.

Suddenly, a thin line darted through the air and hit the Looter right in between the eyes, sinking into her brain and killing her. But then another thin line was shot, and it struck Bella directly in her left shoulder.

She cried out and stumbled as she lowered her tail, and she began to felt cold as she collapsed to the ground.

"Shit! Bella, stay with me!" Crackers called out, but Bella had already blacked out. Crackers then turned towards a tall red creature, and a shorter purple bull-like monster, each holding a crossbow.

"What the hell did you do, Eduardo?!" Crackers scolded the purple bull.

* * *

 **Well, Bella's first visit to the surface is certainly off to a bad start, and she still hasn't found Berry. But will Crackers leave her for dead now?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	5. Chapter 3 - Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 3 - Practice Makes Perfect

Bella coughed up blood when she finally came to, her head was aching and her shoulder was burning. But she eventually had to open her eyes and take in her surroundings, which she quickly realized she was in new location, a very small room with carpet and blankets all over the floor and walls, and the only light source was desk lamp.

"Ow…damn, it hurts," Bella hissed through clenched teeth and tried to sit up, but the pain in her left shoulder prevented her from doing so.

"It should. You took an arrow right through the bone, just be thankful it didn't hit an artery." The fox/peacock immediately recognized the voice, and she saw Crackers sitting in a chair next to the cot she was lying on, pouring some hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton swab.

"Hold still. This is gonna hurt like a bitch." Before Bella could brace herself, Crackers had already pressed the hydrogen peroxide-drenched swab onto her wound, instantly making her cry out in pain.

"That hurt!"

"I warned you. And maybe ya shouldn't have gone in ta save me."

"What else was I supposed to do?! You could've died!"

"Ironically, that's exactly what went through my head when I first saved you…but I still don't know why I did. Point is, you look out for yourself and yourself alone out here, Kid."

"So, you're all alone out here?"

"Galletas, es que esta bien?!" a gruff voice called from outside, and the same purple and red creatures from before walked in. The purple creature was a fat, bull-like animal with huge teeth and horns. The red creature was ten feet tall, mostly legs, but he was missing his left arm and his left eye stalk was broken. Both of them were clad in old brown tunics, some dry blood and dirt still visible, and they even had a crossbow strapped onto their back with a quiver of bows.

"Sorry! Were we interrupting?" the red creature quickly asked with worry.

"Are you guys…imaginary friends, too?" Bella asked while squinting to get a better look, and Crackers was now bandaging her shoulder.

"Si!" the purple imaginary friend replied with a smile and a nod.

"My name's Wilt, and this is Eduardo," the red imaginary friend kindly informed.

"And I es muy muy sorry for hurting you! Por favor, forgive me!" Eduardo begged while beginning to well up with tears.

"Yeah, it was an accident, we swear," Wilt added.

"Yeah, it's fine, ok? Just don't shoot me again," Bella suggested flatly.

"Will do," Wilt and Eduardo complied.

"Alright, now make sure you stay here and off that shoulder for a while, or else you're gonna rip it right back open. Got it?" Crackers instructed firmly, and Bella nodded quickly.

"Coco!"

"What was that?" Bella questioned.

"Coco!" Another strange imaginary friend suddenly burst into the room; she was a weird mash-up of the head of a palm tree, the mouth of a red deflated raft, the body of an airplane, and the legs and feet of a human. She was a real work of art, in Bella's opinion. She was wearing similar attire to Wilt and Eduardo's, only wearing multiple bags stuffed with grenades.

"Coco coco coco!" she whispered frantically.

"What?!" Crackers exclaimed out of shock.

"What? What is it?" Bella asked with concern.

"Just shut up and hide!"

"If you even _think_ about hidin' somethin' from me, you're gonna be a target out on the shooting range, Crackers." The said pink Chihuahua imaginary friend immediately flinched upon hearing _Him_ ; the others instantly froze when they saw him walk in, fearing the most for Bella's sake.

But she was quite surprised with what she saw. It was another imaginary friend, a blue blob who was only two foot tall and shaped like a thumb, clad in a dirty white t-shirt and brown leather jacket, an old dark green backpack on his back, and he had to coldest look in his eyes.

When he saw Bella, he never took his eyes off of her, his intense glare kept her eyes glued on him as he slowly approached, observing her and sneering at the results.

"What did you do?" he snapped at Crackers and finally looked away from Bella.

"She was just some idiot in the mansion, and she was about ta get attacked by Looters, so I-."

"So, you risked your own safety and drew attention to yerself. How many times have I told you, Crackers? _No_ aiding outsiders!"

"I was gonna kill her and loot her afterwards anyway, but then Dumbass One and Dumbass Two came in and shot her! Least I could do was fix her up!"

Wilt and Eduardo audibly gulped in fear when the blue blob's gaze shifted to them for a moment, and then back at Crackers.

"Was she alone?"

"Yeah…and…"

"And what?"

"She saved my life. Damn Looter was about ta shoot me when I wasn't lookin, then she came in and blindsided her long enough for Wilt and Eduardo to take care of it."

For a split second, the blob's intense glare softened, and then he turned his gaze back to Bella again. He was quiet for a few long and agonizing moments.

"Coco," he finally spoke, and the said mash-up immediately straightened up, "Get 'er some food. And _you_!"

Bella flinched when he raised his voice and pointed at her. "You're outta here as soon as your shoulder's healed. No exceptions. We clear on that?"

"Y-yes…"

With that, the blue blob left the room without another word, and the others all sighed with relief.

"That can't possibly be Bloo," Bella whispered in awe.

"It is and he is. He may be small, but he'll kill you in a heartbeat," Crackers informed, and the others nodded to emphasize her point, "You're lucky he's even lettin' you stay while you're hurt."

"How'd he get like that?"

"We don't know. He never talks about his past," Wilt replied with a shrug, "But _don't_ ask him. He's real sensitive about it."

Eventually, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco left the room to get away from the tension, but Crackers leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"You were really gonna kill me after you saved me?" Bella piped up, and Crackers barely cracked an eyes open.

"Yeah, actually. It's the rules out here, I can't help it."

"Then why not just kill me now?"

"You saved my life. I at least owe you this much needed medical attention."

"Huh. So, what was that you said earlier? You should only look out for yourself?" Crackers grimaced at Bella's smirk.

"Shut the hell up, Kid, and lemma go ta sleep."

* * *

When Bella was finally able to walk again, she was still limping rather badly and her left arm was held up in a sling. And when she was able to walk, she started exploring her new "friends'" abode.

It was an emergency bunker with many rooms, and the entrance/exit was a large and heavy metal door on the surface. It was underground, but it wasn't nearly as below the surface as World's Toy Chest.

She could never go far with her leg still greatly injured, as she usually stayed inside or took a walk with one of the others on the surface. And they emphasized the point of staying inside whenever they had to make supply runs or patrol the area.

But one particular day, the midday sun was still high up in the sky, providing enough light over the wasteland, and it was only on clear days like this that Bloo would go out to the shooting range to practice shooting with his assault rifle, in which he was the only one on the team that possessed such a weapon.

Bella eventually learned about this schedule of his, and she gathered enough strength to confront him alone when she knew she needed help with her original objective.

When she snuck out onto the shooting range, she found him shooting multiple targets like she had expected, and he was too focused on the targets to notice her approaching. It was his distraction that enticed Bella to snoop through his backpack when she noticed he left it on the ground.

But as soon as she tried to unzip the zipper, a dagger nearly struck her paw and impaled the ground. She gasped and looked up to find that Bloo had finally seen her.

"You _tryin'_ ta be turned into a scarf? 'Cause believe me, I will wear you if you don't respect people's privacy," Bloo growled threateningly and put his backpack back on.

"I-I'm really sorry, I-I…I just need to ask you a REALLY big favor," Bella stuttered in defense.

"You kiddin'? I give you shelter, I share some of our rations with you until you're healed, and you don't call that a huge favor? You're one ungrateful bitch, and if you keep complainin', I'm kickin' yer sorry ass out."

"Please, I need your help to save a friend!"

"Why does she need saving?"

"Because she ran away."

"Most people that run away wanna be left alone."

"Yeah, but…it was my fault she got away, and I can't go back home without her…I'm all alone, Bloo."

"Oh no, that's an understatement. You're trespassing and ya got no allies. You're in real danger, Fox."

"Exactly! And I need your help! Please, Bloo!"

"Why should I help you? You're an outsider, I don't know you, I don't _trust_ you, and I have no idea who you're after. Besides, it'll be impossible to find just one person out in this hellish wasteland."

"Bloo, not a day goes by when I don't feel bad about what happened to Berry Sweet, and I'm even more terrified because she's all alone and could be dead for all I know. Haven't you ever felt guilty for a friend's death before?" Bella's ears drooped in shame, but she grew impatient when Bloo remained completely quiet for a few moments, and he was facing away so she couldn't see his face to tell what he was thinking.

"Guilt," Bloo began, scoffing and finally turning back around, "That's why everyone's here, isn't it? Wilt failed his creator in a tragic basketball accident, Eduardo wasn't there for his creator when she died in the hospital from a police shooting incident, Coco lost her creator on a deserted island, and Crackers failed to do her job to keep her creator from ODing on drugs and salty snacks. _All_ of us, even you, are here now because we blame ourselves for what happened to our loved ones. So, don't you _dare_ ask us what guilt feels like."

The two remained, staring silently at each other to wait for the other to speak. But then Bella finally asked a question, even though she was warned not to. "What about you?"

Bloo's intense gaze stayed the same, but he went quiet again as if he didn't know what to say. But he then reached into his backpack and pulled out his assault rifle, holding it out for Bella to take; though, when she reached for it, he suddenly pulled it away.

"You can have one _after_ you prove you can handle a weapon."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm still not saying that you can stay, but you need ta learn ta defend yourself out here, nonetheless."

"Well, ok…then what do I do now?"

Bloo suddenly pulled out a dagger, and he through it at a target, hitting a bull's eye without even looking. Bella was truly amazed. But as she stared at the flawless result of his aim, Bloo pulled out another dagger and held it out to her, this time not pulling it away before she grabbed it.

"Practice makes perfect, Fox," Bloo simply pointed out, and he walked away before giving Bella a chance to speak again. His method was confusing to her, but she knew better by now than to make him mad. So, she walked a little closer to another target, and threw the dagger.

Unfortunately, her aim wasn't nearly as good as Bloo's, as her dagger landed on the ground just in front of the target.

"Damnit…"

* * *

 **Yup. That's the exact same Bloo you all know, the same jerky, stupid, and slightly nicer Bloo you used to know. But what happened that made him this way?**

 **And aww, Crackers does have a heart:3**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	6. Chapter 4 - Frustrating Progress

Chapter 4 - Frustrating Progress

A row of old and punctured wooden targets was lined up, ready to be filled with more knives or bullets. But instead of Bloo taking an aim at them, like usual, it was Bella's turn to hit the many bull's eyes.

Bloo obviously needed to see if she could hit every target perfectly, as he was the one who assigned her the challenge, but the others came up to the surface for some fresh and just to see if she could do it…but they had their doubts.

"I haven't got all day, Fox," Bloo grumbled impatiently and crossed his arms.

Bella focused on the targets ahead, taking a deep breath in and out and pulling one dagger from the cluster of daggers in her injured arm. She pulled her good arm back, and put all of her strength into throwing the sharp weapon.

With a whip and a blurry twirl, the dagger went flying through the air and struck the faint red center of a target in the blink of an eye. Bella grinned in appeasement with her accomplishment, but Bloo only scoffed.

"You think Looters sit still like the targets?" Bloo sneered, "They don't. There aren't gonna stand around long enough for you ta hit 'em. Besides, Looters never travel alone; call me when you at least hit all at once."

As Bloo turned to leave, Bella scoffed and shook her head in shock. All the progress and frustration she went through to at least hit one was too much, and it was almost as hard to even convince Bloo to see her progress. She growled and had no idea what came over her, but she suddenly pulled out another dagger and chucked it right at the blue blob.

And it would've been a perfect hit through the head—if Bloo hadn't turned and caught it, the end of the blade just inches from the side of his face. He slowly turned to face Bella, lowering the dagger.

"You sure you wanna play this game, _Fox_?" His nickname for her rolled off of his tongue like poison, and his glare grew even grimmer. But Bella stood her ground and scowled right back, making the others hold their breath in fear. They hoped that for Bella's sake, she wouldn't do this.

"Why can't you just accept me?" Bella finally spoke.

"Simple: I don't like you. You think that everyone needs you, and that they'd happily take you in because they're helpless," Bloo began and walked up to the fox/peacock, and he held the dagger up to her face, "Well, they're not."

"What makes you think I'm better than you? Than anyone? As far as I know, _I'm_ the pathetic one here; I need _your_ help to find my friend. But what I don't understand is why you won't look into your heart to help with something as simple as that."

"It's not worth the risk. Haven't you noticed that Looters travel in large numbers? That's their greatest mistake; smaller numbers means less attraction, Dumbass." Bella's scowl scrunched even more at the rude name.

"Than continue to give me a chance to prove myself."

"Why? You've already disappointed me once, and I'm not a patient person. Besides, it doesn't look like your shoulder is far from being fully functional again, so you can just be on your merry way soon."

"What is wrong with you?!" Bella snapped, "Why are you so afraid of the world?!"

"I'm not afraid of the world! The damn world's afraid of me!" Bloo shouted back, but he lowered his voice to a spine-chilling hiss, "And you'd be an idiot not ta be afraid of me, too."

"I'm not an idiot." Before Bloo knew it, he was suddenly blindsided when Bella snatched the dagger from him, poking the blade between his eyes. "I'm just brave. And I'd take you on any day, _Blob Boy_."

Bella's annoyance with Bloo's nickname for her couldn't compare with her nickname for him now. But even though he wouldn't show it, he was quite surprised that no one had stood up to him until now, especially a fluffy wimp like Bella.

"I don't kill innocent people," Bloo protested dryly, trying to leave once more. But Bella wouldn't have it.

"But does that really make you any more noble?" Bloo stopped once again, but he didn't look back at Bella. "Tell me, Bloo, if you don't kill innocent people, than whom _do_ you kill?"

Something flashed before Bloo's eyes; a horrible memory that could never be erased. He could see death, he could hear screams of agony, and he could feel blood.

He still didn't turn, but he spoke loud and clear. "I only kill the damned of this world—and you're no better than them."

Bella was taken aback by that, not understanding and she didn't have a clue how to respond, finally giving the blob a chance to retreat into the bunker without being stopped. And when she no longer had Bloo to get answers from, she turned towards the others, who were all staring at her with shocked expressions.

"What?"

"Dude, you almost got yerself killed right there," Cracker implied in awe, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Wait a minute. Why are you all so afraid of him if you don't know what makes him so mad?" Bella questioned in suspicion, "You said you didn't know anything about his past, so that means you shouldn't know what triggers him."

"We don't! Uh…" Wilt replied a little too quickly.

"No estamos escondiendo nada!" Eduardo added hysterically.

"Coco co? Coco!" Coco clucked in denial.

When Bella looked to Crackers, the said pink Chihuahua only lowered her head and sighed. "Kid, some things are just best left buried forever. And for yer sake, I really hope ya don't go try ta dig it up."

* * *

That night, Bella just couldn't fall asleep, and the sling never helped. So, she got out of bed to take a little stroll on the surface, but she was surprised to find Wilt relaxing in a lawn chair with his crossbow still at the ready.

"Wilt?" The said tall red imaginary friend nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard Bella's voice.

"Oh, it's just you, Bella. Sorry, you startled me," Wilt chuckled sheepishly and sat back in the chair.

"What're you doing out here?"

"We always take night shifts to watch for Looters at night."

"Oh…mind if I sit with you?"

"Course not." Bella didn't want to make Wilt uncomfortable by sitting on him or with him on the chair, so she just lied down on the dusty ground.

"So, um… _do_ you actually know what happened to Bloo?" Bella reluctantly began.

"What?" Wilt tried to deny that he heard her, but he sighed and shook his head when he knew he shouldn't lie. "Ok, ok…we lied, we…we wouldn't tell you because it would be really horrible on Bloo's psyche."

"Why? Just tell me what happened, and I promise I won't speak of it again."

"I don't know…if Bloo found out I told you, he'd skin us both alive."

"Oh, c'mon you're his friend, aren't you? The only one at any real risk is me, and I'll take that risk."

"Alright…but don't say I didn't warn you." Bella sat back up and placed her paws on the arm of the chair, and Wilt sighed in defeat. "I won't say much…but I will say that…he lost something really close to him."

Bella sensed the tiniest bit of lies in his tone, and she was still very curious. "Some _thing_ or some _one_?"

Wilt looked at the fox/peacock in surprise. "To be honest, we've all lost someone."

The two remained quiet for a few moments, creating awkward tension in the air for quite a while. But then Bella looked at the corner of her eye, surprised that she hadn't noticed a certain feature of Wilt's until now.

"Apparently, you've lost more than that. What happened to your arm and your eye?"

Wilt looked at his stubbed left arm and his wonky left wiggled, as if on cue, making him chuckle pitifully. "Just a basketball accident."

"What happened?"

"Some big guy fell on my arm and squished it, and a basketball hit me right in the eye and bent the stalk. Both were broken beyond repair."

"It…wasn't Eduardo, was it?" Wilt could only chuckle at that.

"No, it wasn't. It was someone on the other team," Wilt pointed out with a smile, but it soon faded into a frown, "He was a real cheater."

"Well, as _foul_ as he was, he's probably dead," Bella joked with a smirk.

"Amen ta that," Wilt chuckled, getting a good laugh out of Bella, too.

But as the two enjoyed their conversation, they were completely unaware that Bloo had been sitting on the staircase down into the bunker, listening to them the whole time. He especially heard the part where Wilt told Bella that he lost someone. And whether or not that fox promised not to speak of it again, Bloo wasn't going to tolerate her anymore. She was just some meddling dead weight.

* * *

Morning came, and Bella found another rare occasion when the others were actually sitting together at the dining table. All were munching on some scrambled eggs and bacon (no doubt laid by Coco), and Bella figured she'd join them.

"Ah-ah!" Crackers exclaimed before the fox/peacock could grab a plate, "Take yer pills first."

"Aw, c'mon! I just wanna eat, and then I'll take them right after, I promise."

"Hey, if you wanna die from blood poisoning 'cause you didn't take yer antibiotics, then be my guest." Bella grumbled at Cracker's calmness, and she gave into the common sense and took her pills, anyway.

"No point in that, Crackers!" Bloo called from the doorway, instantly making everyone look of from their plates and stop eating, "She ain't gonna survive another day, anyway."

"What're you talking about?" Bella questioned.

But Bloo didn't give her a verbal answer, and instead slammed a hunting knife on the table. "I want you out of here." Bella stared wide-eyed into the blob's grimace. "But I also don't want you ta die under unfair circumstances, so I'm makin' you a deal."

Wilt, Coco and Eduardo all swallowed the already chewed food in their mouths and stared at each other in concern, while Crackers continued to remain calm and just ate her food.

"What kind of deal?" Bella finally asked.

"Survive for at forty five seconds in a fight with me, and I'll _consider_ helping you look for your friend." Bella's gaze grew even more awestruck, as she knew this was the best she could ever get at the moment. "Make a choice before I change my mind, Fox."

"Alright, alright!" Bella exclaimed, making Bloo slid the knife across the table to her. She reluctantly picked it up with her good paw, and closely examined it before looking back up at Bloo.

"You'd better be quick, Fox." Bloo scoffed. "I'm not a wooden target, and I ain't gonna sit still."

* * *

 **Well, Bloo's lookin' ta pick a fight, and we all know how this is gonna turn out0.0**

 **Send prayers for Bella!**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	7. Chapter 5 - Bloo vs Bella

Chapter 5 - Bloo vs Bella

Bloo made sure that the others would stay inside, as to not judge or ridicule, and to keep them from getting hurt if something were to go wrong—which it was. The only one who got to see them fight was Crackers, as she was timing them with an old stopwatch.

As Crackers prepared her watch, Bella and Bloo stood ten feet away from each other out on the grey wasteland. And as if it were some clichéd western standoff, some dust kicked up and even a tumbleweed rolled across the dirt, all while the wind blew with a very faint whistle.

"Better start writin' your will, Fox," Bloo warned dryly.

" _You_ start writing _yours_ ," Bella hissed.

"Ya know, I was thinkin' of takin' it a little easy on you—but now you've got no chance of survival with your crass mouth."

"Good. I wasn't planning on taking it easy on you, either."

"You two done chattin' like birds?" The blob and the fox/peacock both got into a fighting stance and raised their hunting knives, waiting for Crackers' say-so. "Fight!"

Bloo was the first to make a move, and he was as fast as a snake; he whipped right passed Bella and almost struck her from the side, but she blindsided him with her tail just like she had to that one Looter. The blob growled and pulled his knife back, but that was when Bella tried to slit his throat too.

But at the last second, he pulled back at the very last second, just barely getting nicked and leaving a very faint scratch. And as soon as he realized she hit him, even if it was just a little, he let his temper get the best of him again.

"Fifteen seconds!" Crackers called.

Bloo lunged at her again, this time successfully driving his knife into her left shoulder—which was still injured. Bella screamed in agony and collapsed flat on the ground, curling up to try and suppress the pain, but to no avail.

"I _dare_ you ta get back up," Bloo hissed and violently pulled the blade from Bella's shoulder, making her cry out again and jerky violently. And Crackers had been watching in horror the whole time, forgetting to keep track of the seconds, but she quickly looked away when Bloo looked at her.

But when Bloo had turned to leave the bloody mess, Bella grunted and managed to lift her head and scowl a deathly glare at the blob. She had come too far, and she wasn't going down that easily.

Using all the remaining strength she could muster, Bella acted without thinking and pounced at Bloo; she landed on his back and dug her claws into his neck. As hard as Bloo flailed around to try and get her off, she wasn't letting go.

Crackers was once again too awestruck by the action, especially since she had never seen anyone get up from an injury like that _or_ take on Bloo like this. And her amazement was raised even more when Bella suddenly clasped her jaws tight onto the back of Bloo's neck.

Bloo never showed it when he was in pain, but this was no exception. As blood was drawn, the blob threw his head back and cried in agony. But he had had enough. He finally managed to reach back and grab the nape of Bella's neck, pulling her off and throwing her as hard as he could.

Her body went flying like a rag doll, and she tumbled hard quite a ways across the dirt. Once she finally stopped, she stopped moving completely. Bella felt herself slipping away again, and she had no more strength to even keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head.

The last thing she could remember before blacking out was the animal-like grunting and panting of Bloo.

* * *

Bella groaned from an even worse pain in her left shoulder, and the first thing she assumed was that she should be dead.

"Why the hell am I still alive?" the fox/peacock whined.

"Who knows?" Bella's ear pricked at the sound of Bloo's voice, and she looked in the corner of her eye to find the said blob with a role of thicker bandages, and she realized she was once again in the same small room with the cot in the bunker.

"I'll be honest, I was pretty pissed when I found out you could still live," Bloo admitted grimly, and he walked up to Bella and tried to wrap her disinfected wound that had reopened, but she pulled away when he tried to put the bandages on.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Whenever someone survives a fight like that against me, I always take it upon myself ta nurse 'em back ta health. Now, hold still."

"Uh-huh…and how many times have you done that?"

"You'd be the first."

"Thought so. But seriously, why help me? You hate my guts, and I barely even hit you."

"True. In fact, you didn't even make it ta forty five seconds." Bloo cut the end of the bandages once he finished covering the wound, and he tossed the role onto the counter. "But—ya _did_ make ta thirty nine."

"Ok. And…?"

"The others couldn't even last thirty."

"Wow, you fight your own teammates to the death?" Bella began sarcastically, "You're one horrible leader."

"Funny. I get that a lot," Bloo pointed out dryly.

"So, what now?"

"Well, since you beat my own teammates' record—I'll _consider_ helping you look for yer friend."

"Really?" Bella couldn't help but smile with hope.

"Don't get too excited. You're still on your own after all this." After making his point, his grabbed his backpack and left the room. But when he turned, Bella got a partial view of the fresh bite marks she left on his neck.

She wanted to tell herself that he deserved it…but she just couldn't help but feel the slightest guilty.

 _C'mon, it's not like I killed him or anything,_ Bella thought as her ears drooped, _then again, I'd never actually hurt anyone before…ugh, why must I pity that damn blob?!_

* * *

After yet another fatal injury, Bella was bedridden for quite a while, which left her bored beyond all reason. And like the past few weeks, she was just lying on her cot, tossing and turn when she wasn't tired in the slightest.

"Senora Zorro!" the all-too familiar gruff, Spanish voice of Eduardo called from outside, and the said purple imaginary friend soon walked into the room with a sheepish smile.

"Hey, Ed," Bella greeted dryly and plopped her head back down on her pillow.

"Senora Crackers said you were lonely, and so I es decided to spend time with you!"

"Well, as much as some bedside manner sounds right now, I really don't think I'm in the mood for-."

"I brought papas fritas." Bella's attention was immediately pulled towards the unopened bag of potato chips that Eduardo was holding. And before long, the two were digging into the bag of salty and crispy snacks.

"Thank you, Eduardo! These are so good!" Bella thanked through a mouthful of chips.

"De nada," Eduardo replied with a smile.

"But wait…where do you guys even get all this food, anyway?"

"Senora Coco! She lay all the food, and our supplies, too."

"What? _Lay_?"

"Si! She lays huevos de plastico, plastic eggs with muy muy surprises inside."

"So…all your stuff…came out of her…" Before Bella finished her sentence, she came to a disgusting realization, and she immediately spit out the chips. But Eduardo just shrugged and continued eating.

"Jeez, you guys are gross," Bella groaned and wiped her mouth.

"Cierto. But we get used to it," Eduardo simply admitted.

"How long do you have to live up here ta get used ta eating food that came out of a chicken's hoo-ha?"

"Oh, we live here por mucho tiempo…eighteen years, I think."

"Eighteen years?" Bella repeated in shock, _Have we really been living in that toy chest that long?_

"Si, but don't worry. Azul has been taking very good care of us," Eduardo reassured.

"Y-you mean Bloo?"

"Si."

Bella looked away in shock for a moment. "Where's Bloo now?"

"No lo se. Azul just disappears like this once a year, and he no return for a few days."

"Why?"

"He never say."

* * *

Bella waited much longer than usual for someone to change her bandages, but Crackers eventually came back to clean her wound and put on new bandages, which was exactly what she wanted.

"Crackers?"

"What?"

"Where's Bloo?"

"Hell if I know."

"Don't do that. You lied to me once about Bloo, and I know you're lying again." Crackers paused after removing the old bandages, and she stared blankly at Bella for a moment.

"When did you get so smart?" Crackers asked and threw away the old bandages.

"I've been smart, but that's not important. I really need to talk to Bloo."

"No, you don't. Trust me, whenever he's goes on one of his 'spiritual renewing' trips or whatever he calls it, he wants ta be left completely alone."

"But-!"

" _Completely_ alone." Crackers repetition was threateningly low, and she glared directly into Bella's eyes to emphasize her point before beginning to clean Bella's wound.

And Bella didn't know what to say after that, so she remained still and quiet while Crackers finished tending to her shoulder. But even though she was brought down verbally at the moment, she wasn't out yet.

* * *

 **What's Bella planning now? And where'd Bloo wander off to?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	8. Chapter 6 - What I Can and Can't Do

Chapter 6 - What I Can and Can't Do

Bella waited for another whole day, and Bloo still didn't return. She had no idea where he went, but she knew exactly how to find him. And when the cover of night came again, and the others were all sound asleep with just Eduardo taking the first night watch, she snuck into Bloo's room.

She hardly ever saw him go in here, further raising his mysterious ways, but she was still glad he wasn't here to see her infiltrating his place. All she needed was something small and covered with his scent, then she could use her stronger sense of smell to track him…but only if he didn't get far. She wouldn't risk going too far, especially since she can barely even walk on three legs at the moment with her vulnerable shoulder still in a sling.

"Jeez, does he ever clean his room?" Bella whispered in disgust at how messy and dusty Bloo's room was…then again, everything on the surface was dirty, but still not as bad as this. But luckily, she soon one of his white t-shirts; it looked much older and had many tears through it, but it would do.

She grabbed the old clothing and took a deep breath in, concentrating to familiarize herself with Bloo's scent. Given that the shirt was old, the smell was faint, but it was good enough for now.

She then escaped the bunker and snuck past Eduardo without a sound, taking the shirt with her just in case. But as she slowly limped to follow the scent, she realized she was entering a small town. Sue, the place was completely empty and felt more dead than alive by now, but the new sight certainly surprised her.

Eventually, her nose lead her to what looked like a two story motel of some sort, and she smelled and saw many new things as she climbed the rusted stairs up to the balcony. The lobby of the motel was littered with few dead bodies, all very old and mostly dry bone by now, attracting many annoying flies. And the smell was disgusting, nothing but rot and decomposing flesh, and Bella couldn't help but curl her nose in disgust.

But as hard as it was, she soon found Bloo's scent again and followed it into one of the apartments on the second floor. And as she expected, the door to the apartment was already slightly opened. Bloo was definitely here.

Bella dropped the t-shirt and walked inside, and was greeted with an old brown couch, and it wasn't even flipped onto its side or torn to shreds; it seemed to still be in good enough condition to sleep on. But the couch was one of the very few furniture that remained; faded spots on the walls indicated where pictures used to hang, most likely of the people that used to live here. Surprisingly, the microwave, refrigerator and even the TV were all still in the apartment as well, but they weren't faring as well as the couch.

The fox/peacock had no interest in looking at the ancient furniture, though, and she explored deeper into the apartment. She quietly limped down the only hall, finding two doors on each side; three were bedrooms and one was obviously the bathroom. But one room smelled stronger with Bloo's scent than the others, so Bella checked out the farthest door on the left first.

Inside, the most obvious piece of furniture was a dusty bunk bed that looked like it hasn't been used in years. But they would be used again now, as Bella's energy was drained from only being able to walk on four legs. She huffed as she hopped up onto the bottom bunk, immediately kicking up a large cloud of dust from the already-made blankets.

"What're you doing here?!" Bella nearly jumped out of her skin when a screechy voice suddenly rang throughout the silence, and she quickly realized it was Bloo; the said blob looked angrier than ever.

"I came looking for you," Bella replied calmly.

"I don't care! Get outta that bed!"

"Why?"

"NOW!"

Bella knew she should've been used to Bloo's impatience and yelling by now, but she was still surprised and slightly intimidated. Besides, she knew he would move her himself if she didn't listen soon, so she reluctantly jumped down from the bed.

Bloo quickly pushed Bella out of the way and frantically straightened the blankets, huffing hysterically to match his movements. But then her turned and glared daggers at her. "That's it."

"What?" Bella pricked her ears when she couldn't hear him from his mumbling.

"I said that's it!" Bloo snapped, "Get the hell outta my sight!"

"What? Why? What'd _I_ do?!"

"You've done too much! You've been nothing but a dead weight ever since you got here, and we want nothing ta do with you!"

"You mean _you_ want nothing to do with me!"

"Exactly!"

The blob and the fox/peacock once again locked scowling eyes with each other, huffing in anger from the other's stubbornness.

"You shouldn't underestimate me, Blob Boy," Bella finally spoke, her voice a low hiss, "I had the guts ta come find you when your own crew didn't, and I did it just by following your scent."

"If you're such a great tracker, than why do ya need me ta help find yer friend?" Bloo asked in disbelief and crossed his arms.

"Look at me. I'm injured and I don't know the first thing about surviving out here. You're clearly an expert on the field, and I could use the protection."

"Even if I _could_ help find you, that doesn't mean I _want_ to."

"Right, because all you really want is to get rid of me. Well, if you at least help me, I'll leave you alone."

"I don't believe you."

"Of course you don't, but that's only because you spend all your time sulking in the past." Bloo's cold glare quickly turned into shock. "Look, I don't know what happened to you and your friends, but that's not _my_ fault. But I promise that life will always respect you if you just respect it back."

Bloo growled and shook his head, his scowl immediately returning as he turned away. "You don't know the first thing about life, Fox. You've spent the hellish part of it cowering in that damn toy chest, not knowing what it's really like."

"Than show me what it's like, and I can learn," Bella pleaded softly.

"No. What _you_ can do is leave, and whether or not you go back to your toy chest, you can never come back—because I promise that I will kill you if you do," Bloo explained darkly, still not turning around.

And just before Bella could respond, her PipBud suddenly started beeping frantically.

"What's that?" Bloo demanded.

"It's my E.A.R. There's someone else here," Bella replied fearfully when she saw the flashing red lights on the radar, quickly shutting off the alarm to avoid attracting any attention.

"Damnit!" Bloo whispered and pulled out his assault rifle, running out of the room and Bella quickly followed him into the living room.

"Get down." Bella immediately followed his orders and ducked under the window sill, and he barely peaked over the sill to observe the situation. "Yer little computer was right. We got Looters. And they probably already know we're here."

" _Probably_?"

"I'm gonna go around and take 'em by surprise. You stay put and don't make a peep. Am I clear on that?" Bella quickly nodded, and Bloo hastily darted out of the apartment. But once he disappeared, Bella couldn't help but want to watch the danger and barely peaked over the window sill.

What she saw took her by complete surprise. Until now, she never saw Bloo actually kill like this before.

He escaped up onto the rooftop to remain hidden, throwing empty glass bottles and rocks into the center of the motel to get the group Looters' attention. Once he had them all in one place, he threw numerous smoke bombs at them, blinding and choking them.

Bella took the opportunity to get a better view of the scene, so she walked out onto the balcony, slightly poking her head through the bars. The smoke made anything barely visible, but flashing the light of Bloo firing his gun illuminated everything.

She saw blood splatter, bodies jerk around, heads explode…and at the center of it all was Bloo. But eventually, he stopped firing and resorted to using hunting knives, yielding one in each hand.

There was no light to shine through the smokescreen anymore, but Bella could just barely make out the faint shadow of Bloo pouncing on a Looter and slitting his throat. He continued to do this until each Looter fell, and there was more blood pouring than ever before.

Bella just stood there, frozen from all the carnage that occurred before her. She knew death meant a life would end, but she never knew it could be this…

"Bloody," Bella whispered the last word that came to mind. But her mind would soon be even shattered once more when Bloo finally came out of the smoke, and he was almost completely stained with the rustic blood of the Looters. When he looked up at her, she swore she felt her heart stop.

Bella never would've expected anyone this small or who looks so non-threatening could be such a monster.

"Bella, behind you!" The said fox/peacock was immediately yanked from her thoughts when she heard Bloo screech her name, and she followed his gaze to find that a stray Looter was now standing over her with a metal bat.

"I've always wanted ta smash an imginary's brains!" she cackled in a hoarse voice, and she raised her bat above her hat to strike Bella. But her wish to smash an imaginary friend's brains was not to be when Bella suddenly spread her tail in the blink of an eye, throwing off the Looter for a split second. But the split second was long enough for Bella to pull a dagger and slit the Looter's throat, causing her to collapse in a choking and twitching mess as blood poured from her neck.

Bella stood frozen once more, this time even more awestruck from what _she_ did. She had never killed anyone before…and she could never take this back.

"Who knew you could take out a Looter?" Bloo admitted dryly as he walked up the stairs, but Bella could tell he was pissed as he quickly approached, "But I didn't say you could come out yet! You could've gotten yerself killed!"

"I killed a Looter when you didn't think I could do it," Bella growled in protest, "So, don't tell me what I can and can't do."

That simple phrase, as dark and brooding as it sounded, triggered something in Bloo, something different. It wasn't his stubbornness or anger this time, but rather his own determination. He hated to admit it, but Bella sounded just as determined as him.

He crossed his arms and looked directly into Bella's eyes, his calm expression meeting her furious one. Bloo could tell she was ready to attack again if need be, and the bite she left on the back of his neck emphasized her point.

"How long did Crackers say you should be in bed?" He finally spoke.

"Huh?"

"You're shoulder. How long will it take ta heal?"

"Oh, u-uh…I-I think she said it would take a few weeks."

"Hm. We don't have that kind of time. If we wait around any longer, we'll lose 'er."

"W-wha-? What're you talking about?"

"Yer friend! She'll be dead by the time we find her if we don't leave right now!" Bloo snapped impatiently.

"I…I'm still confused," Bella muttered.

"Oh, God…ok…" Bloo sighed and facepalmed, "I'm going ta help you find Berry, Dumbass."

"Really? But you said-!"

"I know what I said, but the sooner I help you, the sooner I get you outta my hair—right?"

"Y-yeah! Promise!"

"Good. Don't even think about going back on that promise."

"Ok, ok, sure…but…"

"But what?"

"Why do you suddenly wanna help me now?"

"Don't read too much into it, Fox. It's just ta get rid of ya."

"Yeah, sure…"

"C'mon, we gotta get back before light. No doubt the noise attracted more of those damn Looters."

* * *

 **I wasn't kidding when I said Bloo became a total badass.**

 **Also, who can figure out where Bella found Bloo? I suppose only the truest FHFIF fans would know...**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	9. Chapter 7 - Let the Search Begin

Chapter 7 - Let the Search Begin

"What the hell happened ta you?!" Crackers exclaimed when Bloo and Bella returned to the bunker, and she was greatly concerned if the blood all over Bloo was his or not.

"Just some Looters, nothin' else," Bloo grimly replied, "Coco!"

The said bird mash-up sprinted into the room, standing straight to await the blob's command, "Get me some water and wet towels. I gotta wash this off."

Coco quickly caught on that he was talking about the blood, and she suddenly sat down in the middle of the room, just like a chicken, and two large plastic eggs popped up from underneath her in the blink of an eye.

Bella still wasn't used to the fact that their supplies came out of a…slit…and she was just barely able to swallow her vomit back down.

"You'll get used to it," Crackers chuckled darkly and playfully hit Bella's back hard, nearly making her throw up in mid-swallow, but she once again managed to keep the contents of her stomach down.

Coco then jumped back up and rolled the two eggs up to Bloo, where he popped them open; one contained a pile of steaming wet towels and the other was filled halfway with hot water. The blue blob pulled one towel out and slapped it over his shoulder and grabbed both eggs, retreating with them to his room without another word.

* * *

Come lunch time, Bloo still hadn't left his room and Bella was becoming suspicious why he didn't eat. So, once she was finished eating, she sneakily grabbed Bloo's plate and left the dining room without anyone noticing.

The fox/peacock then made her way to Bloo's room, quietly placing the plate of food by the closed door. But she did a double take when she saw something blue in the corner of her eye, and she realized the door was slightly cracked open, just enough for her to see Bloo inside.

Bella gasped at the new sight before. Bloo's bloody clothes and backpack were by his bed on the floor, and he was dunking towels into the already red-dyed water from cleaning himself off. But he was facing away from the door and never noticed that he was being watched.

The most outstanding feature Bella noticed about him was a long scar down his back, the old skin had faded purple by now. But even though it was a scar, it still looked really deep and painful. It was so noticeable that the only reason it couldn't have been seen was because Bloo always wore something over it. Bella figured he doesn't get completely nude like this a lot, if not ever.

Bella hadn't realized she was staring for so long, or that her ears and tail had perked a bit until the door was suddenly closed all the way.

"What're you doing?" Crackers whispered darkly.

"U-uh, n-nothing!" Bella quickly denied.

"Uh-huh. You were totally peeping." Bella blushed deep red, especially when Crackers grinned suggestively.

"What?! No! I-I was just bringin' him his food!"

"Sure you were. Just be glad he didn't catch you—there's a reason he always covers his back."

Before Bella even realized Crackers was referring to the scar, the said pink Chihuahua imaginary friend had already left. How many lies are they keeping from her?!

* * *

Bella was rudely awoken in the middle of the night when her backpack was thrown onto the cot, nearly hitting her and making her immediately jump up on all fours.

"What the hell?" she hissed, the hairs on her back standing on end.

"We gotta leave when it's dark; not even Looters are stupid enough ta be out at night—most of the time," Bloo quietly clarified, "Get yer stuff, we're leaving."

"Wha-now?"

"Yes, now. You wanna find your friend or her dead corpse?"

"But what about your friends?"

"Crackers takes charge whenever I'm gone, and I told her we'll be gone for a while. Besides, she's held down the fort fer me before."

* * *

Once they left the bunker and began their trek over the barren wasteland, more and more questions about Bloo began to swirl in Bella's head, but there was one she needed to ask for obvious reasons.

"Where are we going?"

"Yer friend, she lived in the toy chest when the others were transported down there, right?"

"Y-yeah. Why?" Bella didn't get why Bloo would ask such an irrelevant question.

"Good. I've got an old friend who should be able ta help."

"How?"

"She keeps information of the house's residents."

"You mean…Foster's?" Both Bloo and Bella stopped in their tracks, but she only stopped when because she didn't expect him to. The blob slowly turned around, glancing at her dryly.

"Yeah. Foster's. You ever live there?" Once Bloo finished that sentence, he ended the awkward tension and continued walking, Bella limping behind him.

"O-only for a few months, I think, but it's been so long that I can barely remember anything while living there. I just mostly remember life in the toy chest."

"That's what happen when ya live the life of a pussy."

"Yeah…that…" Bella honestly didn't know what else to say to that. But her attention was drawn back to Bloo when he finally spoke again.

"I used ta live there." She never expected that. "We _all_ did. Funny how we didn't even know the other existed until now, huh?"

Despite it being a little humorous, Bella could tell Bloo wasn't smiling at all; she wondered if he ever smiled at all. But from there, they never spoke for the rest of their journey to this "friend."

But it was still dark by the time they reached their destination, which was an old log cabin on the edge of a forest that had long been dead; though, the only sign of life was the light within the cabin and the thin smoke rising from the chimney.

"This is it?" Bella asked in disbelief, and as if on cue, her PipBud suddenly started beeping again. It was much calmer this time, and the light on her E.A.R. was green instead of red, and there was only one dot.

"That answer yer question?" Bloo responded sarcastically after quickly glancing at the radar, and Bella rolled her eyes as she shut it off again. She then followed the blob up onto the creaky front porch, and he gently knocked a few times on the door.

Before long, rustling could be heard from inside and footsteps were slowly approaching, and the door slowly opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with short red hair, which already had some noticeable gray streaks; she wore a tattered green jacket over a lighter green turtleneck, along with a pair of faded blue jeans and boots.

She opened the door and glanced through the screen door for a bit, but she eventually looked down and smirked when she saw Bloo. "Heya, Blob Boy."

"We can meet up under better circumstances later, Frank. There's a life on the line," Bloo quickly yet calmly informed, which surprised Bella that he didn't snap at the woman for calling him the nickname that he oh-so despised.

"What's her name?" the redhead asked. Bloo then turned to Bella, nodding his head towards the woman to signal her.

"O-oh, right! Her name is Berry Sweet."

"Berry?! Oh, I remember her!" the redhead laughed.

"She's hard ta forget," Bloo added grimly.

"Yup."

"We need to find her really fast, so can you tell us anything that could help us find her?" Bella asked the redhead.

"Sure. If I remember her file correctly, she used to live with her creator in Maine, but then she moved to Foster's before the war."

"Maine?!" Bella exclaimed, but then she looked dumbfounded, "Where's that?"

"All the way up in the damn corner of the continent," Bloo replied with a sneer, "That's quite a ways away, Frank. Sure she didn't live anywhere closer?"

"Sorry, but no, and you know I have the memory of an elephant with this stuff," the woman admitted with a shrug.

"Yes, I'm _well_ aware of that."

"So, if she's going to Maine—and if it's really as far away as it sounds—how are we gonna get there?" Bella interrupted.

Bloo then sighed in disgust and sulked his head. "I know a guy. He runs a railroad that covers the eastern half of the country. If he's in town, we can catch his train."

"Well, good luck, guys," the woman added sincerely before retreating back into her cabin.

"Thanks, Frank," Bloo said flatly before she closed the door.

"So, who's this 'friend' that runs a railroad?" Bella asked as they walked off the porch.

"He's not a friend, more like a frienemy. His name's Bendy and he's really _twitchy_ , so be careful around him."

"Ok…and who was the lady?"

"That's Frankie. She's the granddaughter of Madame Foster."

"What?! She's the granddaughter of THE Madame Foster?!"

"Yeah."

Bella paused at how Bloo reacted to this, wondering how she never knew this. Even if she was only at Foster's for such a short time, how long were Bloo and the others there, and what else was she missing?

* * *

As if luck couldn't be more bountiful, Bloo and Bella soon reached the abandoned train station on the other side of town and there was already a locomotive waiting by the old building with steam hissing from its axles.

"Wow, Bendy, yer timing couldn't be more perfect," Bloo muttered under his breath, and Bella was about to ask him to repeat that when he was already making his way to the train.

She followed him to the second cargo cart from the engine, and the heavy doors quickly slid open just when they reached the edge of the tracks. "Well, well, well! If it isn't my old friend Blooregard!"

The voice from the cart was scratchy and irritating, and it belonged to a very hairy imaginary friend; he was bright yellow with black zig-zags all over his body, and the hair atop his head was very pointy. He was also covered in numerous scars and fresh wounds, and his eyes were baggy and red…his movement was also very twitchy, as Bloo described.

"Shut it, Meth Head," Bloo warned the yellow imaginary friend firmly, "We need a ride ta Maine."

"Oh, Blooey, ya know I'd love to, but I can only help ya when ya gimme the _good_ _stuff_ ," the yellow imaginary teased with a grin, and he held out his hand demandingly.

"You know I don't do that stuff," Bloo protested.

"I know, but you don't gotta pretend ta be all clean fer your pretty lady friend here." Bella couldn't help but blush and smile, even though she knew he was most likely joking. She actually found it rather funny.

Bloo scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he pulled off his backpack to take out two small sandwich bags full of white powder. The yellow imaginary quickly snatched the bags from Bloo, and he pulled them open and took a big whiff, exhaling loudly as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Thanks, buddy. Hop on." Bloo suddenly picked up Bella bridal style, taking her by great surprise, and tossed her up into the cart.

"Hello, Miss," the yellow imaginary friend greeted smoothly, smiling as he helped Bella up after being tossed, "Name's Bendy."

"I-I'm Bella," the said fox/peacock informed sheepishly, once again smiling and blushing.

"That's such a pretty name for such a pretty imaginary. It suits you." Bendy's grin was toothy, and it helped send shivers down Bella's spine when he gently dragged a finger down the side of her face.

"We're not here ta get friendly, Bendy," Bloo cut in and stepped between the two, "We just want that ride."

"Ok, but it'll cost ya extra~" Bloo sighed and rolled his eyes once more, quickly pulling another small bag of meth from his bag and giving it to Bendy.

"Hot diggity, let's get this train fired up!" Bendy cheered and fist pumped the air.

* * *

 **Uh, yeah. Bendy is now a drug addict who runs a rail line.**

 **Also, I kinda forgot about PipBuds in the last chapter, so I went back and slightly edited it. Nothing much has changed, just thought I should do it 'cause a PipBud's a PipBud. But if I forget about them again, I'll try to fix it as soon as I can.**

 **But now, the search for Berry has begun, and Bloo and Bella have got a long way to go.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	10. Chapter 8 - Anymore Questions?

**Warning: This chapter contains hints of molestation.**

* * *

Chapter 8 - Anymore Questions?

Bloo was up on the roof of the caboose, watching the railroad disappear behind the train and the bright full moon as she tried to shine through the cloudy night sky.

And as the soft chuffing of the engine and the wind filled his ears, he failed to notice Bella climb up onto the caboose. "You sure like to disappear a lot."

"And you like ta stalk me a lot."

"It's not stalking…I just…" Bella lost her voice when Bloo turned and looked at her blankly, so she ultimately just shut her mouth and sat on her haunches next to the blob.

"What're you doing up here?" Bloo spoke and went back to looking at the moon.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Bella informed and looked up as well, "Wow, it's so beautiful…I can't remember the last time I saw the real moon. World's is always the same phase: a thin crescent."

"Yeah, you've all missed a lot down there…so, what's the big deal with Berry anyway? Why'd she run away?"

"I have no idea. No one would've thought she would do something like this because she lived such an awesome life in the toy chest; she was a beautiful singer and actress, and she was practically friends with everyone—she was really the only nice thing down there."

"Well, if Frankie said she lived with her creator in Maine, maybe that's why she left: Ta find her creator." Bella turned to Bloo, as she could sense the regret in his voice but she didn't get why he sounded this way.

"B-but that's impossible. The majority of the population who was still on the surface died during the nuclear war." Bella gasped when realization hit her in the face. "What's Berry gonna think when she finds her creator's been long gone?"

"She'll get over it," Bloo replied grimly and averted his attention down to the tracks again, "Everyone else had to."

"And you?" Bella asked softly, "What happened to your creator?"

It only took a split second before Bella realized what she just said, and her ears folded against her neck in fear when Bloo finally looked at her, and he certainly didn't look amused.

"Killed, just like everyone else," he simply replied, "Got anymore damn questions, Fox?"

"N-No!"

"Thought so. Now, get back inside and go ta bed. We've still gotta track down yer friend when we get ta our stop."

* * *

It took a while, but Bloo was eventually able to convince Bella to get back inside, and she found a comfortable box full of old blankets inside a cargo car. But she didn't know that Bloo had joined her in the cargo box, but he never slept; he just sat upon a crate, holding his rifle close and keeping a close watch on the fox/peacock.

"Somethin' wrong, Blooey?"

"Go away, Meth Head." Bendy only chuckled at Bloo's warning, but the drug addict wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"Aw, c'mon, Blooregard. Lighten up a bit—who wouldn't be happy with a catch like _her_?" Bendy cooed suggestively and pointed at Bella.

"Step off!" Bloo hissed, "I'm just bringin' her ta Maine ta look for her friend, who's probably already dead anyway."

"Oh, but I've seen this before. Many times, actually—the brave and forever scarred old man just somehow meets a pretty little damsel during the apocalypse. Now, as the two try to survive together, they don't even realize they're forming _such_ a tight bond. Eventually, they grow so close that the old man tells the girl what really happened to him—why he's so cold, cruel—and why he doesn't tell sad tale of his best friend's demise."

In the blink of an eye, the razor sharp blade of a machete was pointed right in between Bendy's eyes, immediately making him close his lips. And Bloo continued to glare daggers at the drug addict, just barely poking his forehead with the blade.

"You've just crossed the line, Bendy," Bloo whispered, his voice rolling off his tongue like poison.

"Oh, please. You don't got it in you ta kill someone who wasn't responsible for _His_ death," Bendy scoffed.

"Neither were the Looters, but they deserve it."

"Really? Well, than what about you, Blooregard? I thought you would've taken care of the real problem by now." Bloo's hold on the machete began to weaken, as the blade started to tremble. "So, tell me, why _are_ you still here? Did ya promise your goody two-shoes creator somethin'?"

"Bendy, I'm only gonna warn you one last time," Bloo quickly interrupted, finally pulling the machete back from Bendy's face, "Keep yer drug-induced mind outta my past."

"Ok. Fine. But a time _is_ gonna come when you're gonna have ta tell her the truth. Mark my words, Bloo."

* * *

When Bella awoke, it was because of another soft beep on her PipBud. She quickly opened her eyes when she recognized the warning beeps of her E.A.R. And once, the radar flashed with a single red dot, and even though the beeping was soft, the dot was rather close.

"What's that ya got there?" Bella nearly jumped out of her skin, but she sighed when she saw that it was only Bendy, as he smiled a toothy grin at her.

"O-oh…it's just my PipBud…but I think something's wrong with it," Bella replied while trying to shut the radar off again.

"Oh, so you're a computer geek, too? Sexy~" Bendy admitted with a seductive sigh, making Bella blush once more from his charm. He then took her by surprise again when he wrapped a strong arm around her, pulling her against his chest.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"I'm just gettin' a better look at cha. I didn't mean ta scar ya or anything…you're just so pretty, ya know?" Bella trembled and shook within his grasp, trying to pull herself free but to no avail. And when she finally looked into Bendy's eyes, she gasped when she saw the deep red veins and his dilated pupils. Something was wrong with him.

"Are you ok?"

"Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine—why wouldn't I be when I have you?"

"W-what?"

"Oh, you're so cute when you're flustered. I tell ya, Bella, out of all my travels and passengers I've let on my train, I've _never_ seen anything as beautiful as you." Bella's spine chilled when Bendy leaned closer and breathed against her face, and then he suddenly pulled her into a passionate kiss. She screamed and tried to get away, but her voice was muffled by Bendy's chuckles and his dominating tongue.

When he finally pulled away for air, he licked his lips and grabbed Bella's muzzle tightly to keep her quiet. As much as she struggled to get away, Bendy proved to be too strong for her.

"You taste good, doll," Bendy breathed against her ear and slammed her against a crate, pushing his body against her to render her immobilized, "Just let it happen, baby~"

But Bella continued to thrash and cry, as Bendy used his other hand to grab her neck in a deathly grip. Her oxygen was quickly slipping, and Bella was beginning to turn purple while her vision became blurry.

And just when she felt something poke at her thighs, the yellow imaginary friend was suddenly impaled through the stomach. As Bendy held kept his grip on Bella's muzzle and neck, he looked down and rasped when he recognized the machete.

"I was wondering…when you'd…" was all Bendy managed to cough up before collapsing, dropping Bella in the process and the two were both choking messes. But when Bella finally caught her breath, she realized that Bloo had killed Bendy. The blob once again wore his emotionless expression, even as he ripped his machete from Bendy's twitching corpse.

"Knew I should've killed the bastard sooner," Bloo grumbled under his breath, and then he looked at Bella, "You ok?"

The fox/peacock couldn't speak at first. The shock of nearly getting molested was still heavy on her mind, as well as the fact that Bloo saved her…again.

"W-why…did you-?"

"I don't take too kindly ta those who pleasure themselves with helpless victims," Bloo quickly explained, and he then put his blade back in his backpack, "Lucky for us, I know how ta drive a locomotive."

And Bloo was true to his word. It took another whole day, but Bloo continued to keep the fire in the engine firebox fully ignited. And before long, Bella could hear and smell the waved of the coast.

"Maine's by the coast, right?" Bella asked as she sat by the engine's cab exit, watching the ocean go by since the railroad ran right by it.

"Yup. They're practically neighbors," Bloo replied and snuck a little glance at the waves, "Ever seen the ocean before?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well, at least you weren't down in that chest long enough ta forget what it is." Even though Bloo mumbled it under his breath, Bella was still able to hear it clearly. Her ears drooped from the guilt of living like coward like Bloo said.

"Damnit!" Bloo suddenly snapped.

"What's wrong?"

"Frankie didn't tell us _where_ in Maine Berry was from."

"Oh, that won't be a problem." Bloo cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, and Bella then pulled another PipBud from her backpack. It was Berry's. "As long as I've got this, I can track her scent. And from the smell of things, we're getting really close."

"Good. I ain't searchin' an entire thirty five thousand-three hundred and eighty five square miles fer one damn dead body."

* * *

 **I don't know...I guess I thought it'd be sweet of Bloo to rescue Bella from nearly getting raped?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


End file.
